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Are we Expecting, for More?

What is our expectations, when it comes to the things of God?
Do we have an expectant heart, that is looking for, waiting, hoping for more?

When we look at Gideon, in Judges 6, we can see from his response to the angel of the Lord, that he remembers what he has been told of old, and is wanting and hoping for more.

Judges 6:11-13
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

From verse 13, we can see that Gideon, has been told about the past of the Israelites, and that he believes it to be true. Further more, we can also see that, he has the question of, “Why is our experience so different, why aren’t we seeing the goodness of God, in our time?”

It appears to me, that Gideon, was looking for, wanting, and hoping, to see the goodness of God, in his, here and now.
Could this be part of the reason, (whether large or small) of why God chose Gideon, to lead Israel, for the time, that he did?

Gideon, followed God’s leading, and he saw God’s goodness, in his time.

When it comes to our lives, what are we looking, waiting, hoping to see?
Are we looking to fulfill our own hopes and desires?
Or, are we trying to align our thoughts, with Our Lord God’s thoughts?

Matthew 6:19-21
Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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When it comes to our expectations, I have been challenged on this, with regards to, how much do I believe that God will heal my wife?
I know that He can do it.
I’ve read about it in the bible.
I’ve heard about it happening in our world today, in other places.
But, me and my wife, are still waiting for it to be our time.
We try to wait, with our expectations remaining high, but we also have to live, in the here and now.
It feels like it can be a bit of a balancing act, living with the two aspects.
A previous post looks a bit into the thought of, How we try to wait, while Waiting for my wife to be Healed.

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As we Celebrate Easter, Will we Consider, What it was for Jesus?

Easter, is a time to celebrate, and give thanks for The Price that was paid, by God, to set us Free.

We can now come close to, and know Our Lord God, because of the price that Jesus paid on the cross, over the time of Easter.

So, I do want to say, first and foremost, that Easter, Is a time to Celebrate, and to be thankful for.

But, could we also take some time, to consider the price, that Jesus paid, on the cross?

Part if my thinking for this is, “Those who are forgiven little, love little. Those who are forgiven much, Love much.”

If we can obtain a greater understanding of what the cross was for Jesus, then will we gain a better, and Greater Love, for Him, who Has paid the price, to save us all?

I am now going to point to two previous posts, as they look at the price that Jesus paid, in a way that was a revelation to me.

Was saying Tetelestai, part of how Jesus endured the cross?

Do I miss, What the Cross was, for Jesus?

The links above, point to posts that are part 1 and part 2 of the same thought. That thought is,

“Was Jesus, speaking the words, “It is Finished” as a source of strength, to Himself, so that He would remain on the cross, and complete the task, before Him?”

I would like to ask you to either consider reading the above posts, or to just contemplate the above thought, with Our Heavenly Father, as we celebrate this time of Easter.

As I’ve been thinking on it, I’ve found myself wondering, if when the angel came and strengthened Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, did he speak words, something like, “When you get through this, then, It will be Finished/Complete/Paid in Full!” ???

I pray that, Our Lord God, will Greatly Bless you this Easter time, and at all times. I also pray that we may all gain a better understanding of The Love, that Our Lord God, has for us all. Amen.

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Can we see something is wrong, and not be able to do anything about it?

One time, I looked out of my window and saw a car with it’s window open, and the rain was falling. Then I had the thought of, “Sometimes, you can see something is wrong, and not be able to do anything about it.”

The car window was open, as the rain was coming down. Someone’s car was getting wet, and I could do very little about it. 😦

I didn’t know who the car belonged to. I would have liked to have helped, in some way. Possibly by saying, “Hey, your car window is down and it’s raining.” But to who?
If I’d gone out and tried to put the window up myself ….. Then would I have looked like I was trying to do something, that was undesirable???

So, I just had to accept that, sometimes, you can see that something is wrong, and you just can’t do anything about it.

As I’ve been writing this, a few thoughts have been coming to me. Such as, couldn’t you have knocked on your neighbours doors, and asked them?
Couldn’t you have gone outside and shouted about it, or sounded your car horn?

In some respects, it’s true. I could have tried one of the above options, but, the thought that came to me, at the time, was, “Sometimes, you can see that something is wrong, and you just can’t do anything about it.”

Based on the thought, I turned away, and just left it.
(All I did was write the title of this blog post down.)

Is this the bit that matters most?
Hearing what your Heavenly Father is speaking to you at any given moment, and then just following it’s leading?

It maybe difficult to walk away from some things, that we can see are wrong, but if we are being told, “This is Somebody else’s Problem.”
Then shouldn’t we just walk away?

Hearing, and following Our Lord God’s thoughts, should be our best leading, for how and what we should do.

Heavenly Father,
If You tell us to leave something alone, then please help us to do just that.
Help us to leave it, in Your hands.
Please give us a peace about it, so that we can then trust, that it is in Your hands.
Please help us to not worry about the things, that we have little or no control over.
Instead, please help us to hand them over into Your hands, and to leave them there.
For You, are able to deal with all things.
Our Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

John 10:27
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

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A Child’s Scribbled Drawing?

I recently asked someone for their opinion of a post that I had published. The answer that came back was a diplomatic, “I didn’t quite know where you were going with that one.”

With hindsight, I do think that the answer was valid. I did already have a follow up post, to the post in question, that will be published, next Friday. (As I write this.) So, I was already thinking that there was more to the post in question, that hadn’t been told, yet.

I’m coming to the thought that, some of what I write here, could be likened to half a of a conversation, with Our Lord God. I may be able to put down my thoughts, but do I sometimes miss writing down, some of what His thoughts are?
(If I do miss them, then Our Lord God is able to fill in the blanks, that I may miss out.)

It’s kind of left me thinking, can some of my posts, end up being like, a child’s scribbled drawing?
A masterpiece in my eyes, but a bit of a mess to everybody else’s? 🙂

My immediate thoughts after this were, even if it is a child’s scribbled drawing, then My God is able to fill in the blanks.
He can add the missing brush strokes, to transform a child’s scribbled drawing, into a masterpiece. Not because of what I’ve done with it, but because of what He does, with what I have offered up, to Him.

Well, that’s ok then… Isn’t it???

A masterpiece will be realised???
Or is that, maybe realised??
Or, will only the child’s scribbled drawing be seen?

If I’m not careful, could this then be an open door for fear to enter in?
Could I possibly allow the thought of, “I don’t want to be seen as publishing something that resembles a child’s scribbled drawing”, to restrict what I publish? (Or do, or even share anywhere.)

The only one who should be restricting what is published here, is Our Lord God!
If He says a “no” to something, then His “no”, is the only “no” that I should be listening to. Fear should not be a factor in any way.
(Sometimes, those words can be easier to say, than to do.)

Some times, I may be blessed with complete blindness when it comes to my artistic handy work (or lack of), and just publish a scribble drawing… or two?
(No! I don’t necessarily need to know how many scribbled drawings I’ve put out there. Just get some eyes to see the strokes that Our Heavenly Father has put in. 🙂 )

But I now also have a need to take captive, the thought that I could possibly be putting scribbled drawings out there!

If my Heavenly Father is happy with my post to be published, then that’s all that really matters. (Regardless, of if it’s a bit of a mess, or not.)
There maybe a need for Him to add a few touches here and there. (Which He IS able to do.)
All that I need to be able to do, is to offer up my best efforts, and then trust that He will fill in the blanks, that may or may not be there.

Will you be able to do likewise?
Will you be able to say, “Lord God, if You want me to do ….. , then I’ll do it, and offer it up to You, even if in my eyes, it’s not quite what I’d like it to be.” ?

2 Samuel 6:20-23
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

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For me, this week’s post, has a bit of a reoccurring theme to it. Below are links to previous posts, for any who would like to look further into this theme.

My word’s don’t matter, But His Words Do!!

Can wanting perfection, be a lie from the enemy?

Will You Offer up your ink blott Picture?

The Lady who Danced

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Should we do What’s Right, or What’s Best for Me?

Luke 14:25-30
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

I’m going to come right out and just say it. I believe that the right thing to do, is to be a disciple of Jesus, and to follow Him, and His teachings.

What your opinion on the matter is, that’s for you to decide.
I’m hoping that you can pay the price of a small amount of time to read and consider what I write here. 🙂

To be a follower of Jesus, there is a cost involved. In the passage above, Jesus clearly tells us this. So, is there a reason of “why” we should consider paying this cost?

Paying a cost, could easily be considered to be a bit of a “pain”. So why should we choose a route, that has a type of pain associated with it?
(If you don’t want to do it, then going to church could be a pain. Likewise reading the bible or praying could be thought of as being a pain.)

So, why consider a path that has any type of pain associated with it?

But what if, the pain that you are seeing as an inconvenience, is actually a protecting pain, trying to steer you clear, of a much greater pain?

Last week I wrote about a pain being a protecting pain, and this post is a follow on from that post.

I’ve had a very recent experience of a pain being removed, to then experience a greater pain. If I had known about the greater pain, that the lesser pain was trying to protect me from, then I would have gladly sought out the first, lesser pain, so that the greater pain, would be kept further away from me.
Seeking the lesser pain, is what I did in the end. Paying the cost of having the lesser pain, was something, that was worth paying for.

I am currently seeing that the cost of following Jesus, can very much so be considered in this way.
There is a cost to pay, and it may even be considered a bit of a pain (at times), or inconvenience to pay that cost, but is it a cost that is worth paying, because of where it leads to?
Or it could be considered as a cost worth paying, because of a protection, that it then provides?

From my point of view, I can easily say that, “Yes, it is a cost that IS worth paying!”

That protecting element means that following Jesus leads me to be with Him, as a final destination, instead of the other place, where Jesus speaks of there being much pain and anguish.
Paying a small cost now, so that a much greater cost won’t need to be paid later.

My final destination, in a lot of ways, is benefit enough to consider it worth paying the cost for following Jesus alone. But there are more benefits to following Jesus, in the here and now!
The Peace and Joy, that is available to those who gladly follow Jesus and His leading.

This is one that you just need to experience, to truly understand, but when you experience it, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. 🙂

I could so easily get distracted and start to focus on the benefits, of the banquet that God is preparing for us, with all the blessings that He has, ready and waiting for us, but I’m feeling that I need to come back to where I started from.

Should we do what’s right, or what’s best for me?

Unfortunately, we have a self seeking interest at our heart.
If we are honest with ourselves, then we can all probably see this. What is best for me, and what is right, may not always be aligned, and sometimes we can know this to be the case.

The cost of following Jesus, can be thought of as, being willing to pay the price for doing what is right, even if it may not appear to be the best thing for me.

So, if we can start to view this cost as being a cost, that is worth paying, then could that help us with our motivation, to be willing to pay that cost?
A cost that ultimately protects us, and leads us to being closer to Our Lord God, the One who saves us all.

Have you ever done something, that cost you personally, that someone else then got the benefit from?
Have you then been pleased to do it, and would happily do it again, because of how the other person benefited from your actions?
Could your experience be thought of as “Doing something that is right, that wasn’t the best thing for you” ?

Could we start to see the cost of following Jesus, as a cost that is worth paying for, in this way?

For those of us who are already Jesus’s disciples, could we gain a better understanding of the cost, which could then lead a a greater willingness to pay it?

If your not already a disciple or follower of Jesus, and your thinking that this might be a cost that is worth paying, then please, keep reading.

To be a follower of Jesus, at the heart of it, it’s about saying “Yes” to God, and to be willing to follow where He leads us.
A starting point could be to just say, “Lord God, Yes. I want to Know and Follow You. Please help me to do this. Amen”

As a follow up, to saying the above “Yes” you could pray the prayer below. It’s a more complete way of asking Jesus into your heart and life.

Jesus, Lord God Almighty,
I acknowledge that You are real, and ask for You to come into my heart and life.
I’m sorry that I’ve not done this before and I’m sorry for the things that I’ve done wrong in the past.
But here and now, I ask for You to enter on into my heart and life.
Please help me to hear and to know You.
Please help me to be able to follow where You lead me to go.
Help me to say Yes to You, from here on in.
Thank you that You accept me, that I am your child, and that You are my Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

If you have just said the above prayer for the first time, then I’d like to say, “Welcome to Our Lord God’s family.”
I would recomend that you do, go and tell someone. If you know someone who is a christian, then please, do tell them.
There is a confirmational power as we speak out, what we decide to do in our heart.

For all who are part of Our Lord God’s family, those who are new, and those who have been around for a bit longer.
I pray that we will all be able to see and hear what Our Lord God would like for us to do.
I pray that we would be willing to pay the cost of of what Our Lord asks of us.
I ask that, You, Lord, would help us to see and understand that it is a small cost, that is worth paying, that then pleases You.
Amen.

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A Pain, that Protects??

If we are in any kind of pain, then wouldn’t it be better to remove the pain, if you can?

If we are talking about removing the source of a pain, then that would be a good thing to do.
But what if the pain that is being experienced is a “protecting” type of pain?
Should a “protecting” type of pain be removed, if it can be?

I have a recent experiance that tells me, removing a “protecting” pain, may not be the best option.

My back has had a moment recently, and I’ve known a pain or two.
Mostly, I try not to go down the medication route. I try the, “use it, only only if you really need it” route.

On this occasion, I listened to others, and tried an anti-inflammatory cream on my back. It worked, … to a point.

My muscles that were tight and sore, relaxed and eased up a bit. So, that’s good then, … isn’t it??

Not from my point of view.
The muscles that the cream worked on, were protecting a point further in, that was the source of the pain.
With my outer defences told to lay down their arms, by the cream being used, the real pain source, then became the messenger for what I couldn’t do.

Instead of a gradual elastic band, telling me “not to move this way”, I now had the pain source screaming at me, “DON’T You DARE go THIS WAY!!!”

Needless to say, I quickly stopped using the cream, and just waited for the outer defences to reform. Which they did, over the next few days.

It has left me thinking that, “Some pain, is worth having. If it’s a protecting type of pain.”

Now let’s be clear, seeking pain is just silly.
If you go and hit your thumb with a hammer, just for the sake of it, then you have no one to blame for the pain, except for yourself.
So hopefully we can all steer clear of that type of pain. 🙂

But, are there times, when we just need to endure a pain, of some sort, because it has a protecting element to it?
Are there times when we need to endure something, because, there is a greater purpose to it?

I’m hoping that this post, is the greater purpose for my back pain???
Please Lord, can it be so???
Can You, my Lord God, please set me free from any and all back pain, from here on out?

My best relief, to my back pain in the early stages, was to play a couple of songs on YouTube.
Strength will rise as we wait upon the lord.
Wait On You | Elevation Worship & Maverick City

Seeking Our Lord God for our help, is always going to be the Best option, in All circumstances!

This post kind of feels as if it could be a post mostly about my back. But hopefully it will be more about the thoughts that I’ve been having, during this time.
The general thoughts I’ve been having are along the lines of, “It can be better to endure a hardship or two in the here and now, rather than experience a much worse fate, later.”
Hopefully, the scriptures below should show some of the connections that I have been making, as I’ve been going through/writing this. 🙂

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Hebrews 12:11
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:2-3
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 5:10-12
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Now, for the probably needed small print. This is Not a medical advice post. Just an account of what happened to me. You are responsible for your own actions. If you are in pain, seek advice from a good source. The Lord God Almighty is a Very Good source. Professional medical people are also a good source.

🙂

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If this post feels as if it’s only half done, it’s probably because that’s how I’m feeling about it now. I’m hoping that next week’s post (which has now been published, link here), will bring together, whats been started here.

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Time to Defrost?

You have more Capacity than you may realise. Some of your capacity has been taken over, by something that Doesn’t Belong!
It’s time to Defrost!

Roughly speaking, that’s the thought I had, as I was trying to put away a frozen meal, into our freezer. Our freezer needs to be defrosted. If there wasn’t so much ice build up in the freezer, then the box would have fit, that much more easily.

Some may say, “You need to get a frost free freezer, then the ice build up won’t be a problem.” I say to that thought,
“That which is causing a problem, can be turned to good… In the form of a fun uplifting blog post!” … ??? 🙂

Back to the main theme.
It’s true, our freezer does have more capacity, when it’s defrosted. The box would have fit so much more easily, if the ice build up wasn’t there.

The ice build up, could be thought of, as rubbish from an enemy, who has been slowly building up the unwanted ice, over a period of time.
The build up, can be so slow, that you just don’t notice it, until one day, you just think, this should fit, it’s just that there is too much ice here.
Hence the need to defrost.

How much from the enemy, do we, just allow to build up, that we just don’t see forming, that ends up reducing our capacity?
How much of a defrost (declutter) do we need, so that we can then be operating at our full potential?

Repeating the start…
You have more Capacity than you may realise. Some of your capacity has been taken over, by something that Doesn’t Belong!
It’s time to Defrost!

Will we come to Our Heavenly Father, and seek His guidance for what we need to let go of?
Will we follow His prompting and leading for how we could do this?
If we seek Him, for His help and guidance, then He will be there, to help us.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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Instead of Just Surviving, will we Start Thriving?

Surviving can be coming through something, that can then leave us bound, in some way.

In order to Thrive, do we have a need to be set free?
For the shackles to be removed and taken away?
To be truly free as we are meant to be, so that we can then Thrive!

Would you like to Thrive, instead of just survive?

Our Lord God Almighty IS The One, who can help ALL, to Thrive!

Would you like to have a connection to The One who can set you free, so that you can then Thrive?
If yes, then you could say the prayer below.

God, if you truly are real, then please be real to me.
I ask for you to come into my heart and life.
I ask for you to lead and guide me in the way that is better for me to go.
I ask that you would help me to place before you, all that causes me pain and upset.
I ask that you will help me to know where to go and what to do with it, so that instead of just surviving, that I could start thriving.
I say a Thank You, to You, in the Hope, that You will answer my prayer.
Amen.

If you have just said the above prayer for the first time, then I would like to say, “Welcome to Our Lord God’s family!
Our Lord God Is Able to lead and guide us all, in the way, that is better for us all to go.”

I would also recommend that you tell someone that you have asked for The Lord God Almighty, to be real to you, that you have asked for Him to come into your heart and life. (There can be a conformational power, as you do this.)

If you have come to this point through any kind of struggles, then,
I pray that Our Lord God Will meet your needs.
I pray that He will lead and guide you, in the way that you should go.
I pray that you will hear His voice, and have the confidence to follow His prompting.
Amen.

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How do you pray when you feel that you just can’t do anything?

I see a Vessel – God is there to heal and make us stronger.

The Calling Abyss – We can say “NO” to the calling abyss

More Post about Struggles

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Do we give an Insect Bite, too much Attention?

Let’s face it, insect bites are annoying. But just how much attention do, or will we give to them?

If we ever do have an insect bite, then what needs to be done, needs to be done. If it needs to be cleaned, then clean it. If it needs some kind of insect cream, then apply it.
But, when all that needs to be done, is done, can we then sometimes, over do the attention?

Look at what’s happened to me and what I have to deal with?

Can we change our focus to, look at what we have overcome. ??
Or even, that’s so small, I won’t let it take up my time and energy, away from what really matters! ???

Some of our problems or issues in life, can they be like an insect bite?
Can we give them more attention than we ought to?

If we are directed to, by our Heavenly Father, then shouldn’t we try to change our focus?
To try to obtain a right perspective?
If something is just an insect bite, then can we view and treat it as such?

Someone shared a picture at church this week. It was…

Sometimes we can have a magnifying glass, but we can be focusing it on the wrong things.
We can end up magnifying our problems, so that we can then make them larger than they actually are.
Can we try to change the thing that we are focusing on?
Could we try to change our focus onto Our Lord God, instead of our problems?
If we can magnify Our Lord God, then will we gain a better perspective?
Will we then even start to see, a solution, as we focus on, Our Lord God Almighty?

Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Will we offer up our Greatest Defeat?

This post, in many ways follows on from a past post, Is your Greatest Trophy, just a Foundation Stone?

Quick summary of that post…
The thing where you think that you are the Best at. Will you take it out of the trophy cabinet, where pride could possibly be a snare to you?
Will you offer it up to Our Lord, and be willing to step onto it, in order to step into the new, that is waiting for you to take hold of?
For the full picture, please consider having a read of the post, Is your Greatest Trophy, just a Foundation Stone?

As well as our Greatest Trophy, my eyes have recently been opened up to our greatest defeat. The things that we would rather not look at. The things that we would rather hide away, and not have to deal with.

Sometimes, not looking at our greatest defeat, can be the right course of action to take, if we are lead to do so, by Our Lord God.
If He says to us, “This is not to be dealt with today, but perhaps another time.” Then we should listen to Him.
The enemy may want to pull us down by trying to make us dwell on the wrong things, but Our Lord, leads and guides us, to the things that will bring us a freedom, as we walk through them, at the right time, with Him.

But, if Our Lord God, brings up our greatest defeat, the thing that we would rather run and hide from, will we be willing to place it before, Our Lord God Almighty, and simply ask, “Please, Help me with this Lord! Help to know what to do and where to go with this!”

It maybe a difficult and painful thing to do, but Our Loving Heavenly Father is for us, and wants to see us set free, and made stronger, by working through our greatest defeat, with His help and guidance.
He longs to see us free from the pain and anguish, that Our greatest defeat would try to hold over us.

If we can place our greatest defeat before Our Loving Heavenly Father, will we then find ourselves in a place where we can exchange our shame for Joy?
Will He then change our mourning to dancing?
Will He take our Ugly Rock, and reshape it into an exquisite sculpture, that we will then want to show to all, declaring,
“Look at what The Lord has done for me, He has turned my mourning to dancing!
He has taken my shame away, and given me peace and joy, in it’s place.”

I know that this can be a reality, as I have gone through this process.
I was given a picture, and then I had to walk through the process of the picture. For me, this then lead to a mini series of posts (numbering 5), that I was very happy, that most people just wouldn’t see. (The doors maybe open, but not many people come in to read. 🙂 )
Time has gone on since then, and I can now talk to people about what happened. I can now even point you to the mini series of posts and say, have a read of them if you wish to.
I can now look at it, and say, “This is just something that happened, and it’s not my fault. It is just something that happened and is now just part of my past.”

The first in the series is:
Will you work with Our Lord, to shape, your Ugly Rock?

If you just want the big reveal, then chapter 4 is:
When the wheels fell off.

Our Lord God, IS in the business of setting captives free!
Of turning mourning into dancing!
Of exchanging shame for Joy!

So if Our Lord God asks for your greatest defeat, will you offer it up to Him?
Will you offer it up, to The One who Can set you free?

John 10:7-11
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.